Before there was New Expression, there was Random Acts of Theatre Company (affectionately, RATCo). The story of this program at its flagship location in Selma, Alabama, was artfully told through a documentary called I WILL DANCE. The program lives on today as New Expression and the film can now live on as a household name as online downloads of the film are NOW AVAILABLE!

You can rent or buy, and all proceeds will go to the programs of Something New.

Joseph East, mentor, director and a driving force behind the Denver New Expressions Film Festival

New Expression Denver is working on its first ever Film Festival. The youth are loving it as they learn by doing from concepting to storyboarding to directing and shooting to editing. The person behind it all? Meet Joseph East.

Early years

Can you guess which one is Joseph?

I always loved movies, and from an early age wanted to tell stories.

In middle and high school I found an outlet for telling stories in theater, performing in musicals like Wizard of Oz, Fiddler on the Roof and Into the Woods.

As a kid, I wanted to make my own movies, but only got so far because of limited resources. As I got older, I began to learn the impact movies could have on people–their ability to touch hearts, spark conversations and ignite change.

At first I thought I wanted to make big Hollywood movies like the ones I loved growing up, so I enrolled at the Colorado Film School. But while at school I discovered documentaries– stories about the struggles, joys and journeys of real people. Documentaries introduced me to a whole new world, and I decided to pursue this new world wholeheartedly.

I Will Dance

That led to Selma, AL and the story of RATCo (now New Expression). For three years on a journey that took me from Selma to New York City, I shot and edited a feature-length documentary that became I Will Dance, a story about a group of young people breaking cycles and defying statistics through music, dance and spoken word poetry. The documentary has toured festivals and broadcast on PBS in Colorado.

In many ways, Selma changed my life. There I met my wife, Alicia (also a writer and producer for I Will Dance). [Read more…]

Hey my name Shania! I got to do this really cool thing with Kleenex and Sheyann Webb. Check it out HERE. I had a whole lot of fun making this and spending the day with Sheyann. She has been a big inspiration to me for a long time. Seeing the courage she had at a young age to stand up for what she knew was right has given me the courage to stand up too. Even though she was only 8, she knew she could make an impact. For me that is an inspiration because sometimes I can think that what I have to say may not be as important because I am young, but that is not what she did. So I thought it was an awesome experience doing that with her and Kleenex.

I have been in New Expression since I was 5. New Expression has really shown me that I have a voice and that I can make a difference. In school I got bullied a lot for not being like other people or just being different, and it really hurt a lot. Then when I came to New Expression I found more confidence and my voice, and it really made me want to stand up for the people that also get bullied or don’t have a voice. New Expression has really given me courage and is a place I found freedom just to be me.To learn more about Shania’s story of integrating Morgan Academy, CLICK HERE. This was a video done by the Freedom Foundation prior to rebranding as Something New and New Expression!

We recently teamed up with Lutheran Services of Georgia (LSG) to celebrate New Americans living in Georgia. Students from a variety of backgrounds, both newcomers and long-time Georgia residents, worked to prepare a message about how we are better together. We traveled to the Georgia State Capital for a day of advocacy and (of course) dancing! Then to finish off the celebration, we witnessed a naturalization ceremony for immigrants from all over the world.

The students met previously at LSG Kid’s Club and we are so excited to see many new friendships continue. LSG serves over 1500 refugees every year providing resettlement, employment and other services. Click Here to find out more about their incredible mission.

Kendall Stark is the Director of the Denver chapter of New Expression, and she has been leading the Community Outreach workshops for youth in the Denver area. In a recent interview, she explained why she started the class, and why she feels it’s necessary:

“Community service is my favorite component of New Expression. Our culture is very centered around self, and consumed with what we ‘want,’ so a service workshop is a perfect way to push outside our comfort zones to help people. Making those connections with others is beautiful. I absolutely LOVE seeing the kids engage with the community!” Kendall has noticed that while the young volunteers may not initially feel they can relate with the people they serve, as they get into it, they find they actually do have a lot in common.

Kendall has worked to form a partnership between New Expression and the Victorian House (an assisted living facility) in Parker. “The kids have a great time talking with the residents, playing games and doing art projects.” She takes a group to the Victorian House several times a month.

Kids and adults spend time and love on the residents of the Victorian House.

This Spring, Kendall has designed part of the workshop to especially focus on our youngest participants, those age 4-8. She feels there is a very special gift that this age group can give, especially to our elderly community. “It’s incredible to see how the residents respond to the youngest kids. It is powerful! Part of my goal for this workshop is to provide opportunities for our kids to make connections with our older community members on a regular basis. So both groups can have these positive experiences they wouldn’t have otherwise.”

She also is developing service projects to support the work of the Ronald McDonald House in the area, and The Crossing (a homeless shelter).

Kendall believes that giving back to the community is an enriching experience for youth of all ages, and adults as well. She plans to expand this program in the seasons to come. “Any age is welcome to come!” She said in closing. “There is fun to be had by all!”

Sometimes, it’s the beat of a song that inspires him to put moves to music.But this time, he was inspired by the lyrics. “This song has a lot of inspirational things in it, so I knew it was good to put some inspirational moves in it. Something hyped up, to get the creative juices flowing,” he said. The lyrics that inspired him the most:

“I’m just like you, why you trynna bring me down?

I’m just like you, help me turn this thing around.”

This lyric expresses something Markese feels deeply: how important it is to realize that we are all alike; and that when we work together, we can make this world a better place.

If you watch New Expression perform, you may see several unique original moves in Markese’s choreography. One of these moves he named the “Jump Dab.” He explains, “The ‘Jump Dab’ came from the ‘Dab.’ A lot of people know the ‘Dab’ from Cam Newton doing it. The ‘Jump Dab’ is a flavor that we added to it.”

Whether it’s the “Dab” or the “Dougie,” Markese makes sure that his dances are simple enough for all ages to be able to dance along. “I slow them down. Like how we changed the ‘Dab’ to the ‘Jump Dab,’ you gotta work with people and meet them where they’re at. That’s what I did. I try not to make it too complicated or hard, so everyone can dance to it without thinking about it so much when they’re dancing,” he said.

This piece was a culmination of several weeks of research, discussion and rehearsing in which students chose a human rights activist from history with whom they connected. The students were challenged to find quotes and historical facts about the activist and to really dig into why they felt particularly drawn to that person.

Malachi Black, 16, chose to research Julian Bond, co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and former president of the Southern Poverty Law Center. “I chose him because he fought for human equality, and I will too. We both believe that everybody is equal, black or white – gay or straight – Muslim or Christian,” Black said.

As the students learned more about each person they studied, they began to see how similar they were to those in history that had made such courageous and positive changes across the world.

The students performance of the spoken word piece was powerful and received a standing ovation – not because every word was articulated and recited perfectly, but because the performers truly respect the legacies of the activists they learned about and believe that they too can stand up against injustice to represent something new in the world.

Like Julian Bond, Nelson Mandela, Malala Yusafzai, and John Lewis, these students are catalysts. Equalizers. Change makers. Freedom Fighters. They are Something New.

Students from all over the world practice for the Feb. 10th performance.

On February 10th, New Expression Atlanta will be performing with students from all over the world in the Rotunda of the Georgia State Capitol. The performance is part of a naturalization ceremony hosted by the Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies, and is the finale of a day of advocacy at the capitol, where trained volunteers speak to representatives on behalf of refugees and refugee organizations.

Koralee, one of the student volunteers participating in the event shared about her experience in attending practices for the event.

“You can almost hear the music of diversity everywhere you go. At one point, all the translators were telling the instructions in maybe four different languages, and I thought to myself, ‘Wouldn’t it be incredible if America were like this? A place where people come together to rejoice in the things they have in common, and learn about the things they don’t?’ Clarkston is a place stepping in the right direction, and it has opened me up to wanting more refugees and immigrants to come to this country.”

Self described as tall, kind and brown skinned, Patricia is a passionate spokesperson for human rights in her hometown of Selma, AL. She recently traveled to Larkspur, CO to perform at a fund raising event for Something New where she spoke with confidence about John Lewis – someone who inspires her to make a difference and stand up for the people in her own town that can’t speak for themselves.

Here’s a video we just made – please share widely! It has some great photos of work in action and you can hear some of our college-age mentor volunteers explain each of our focus areas. We want everyone to be a part of Something New!